Haryana polls: What caused Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP's poor show in assembly elections

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which contested in almost all the 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana, failed to make a mark despite party chief Arvind Kejriwal's claim that no government in Haryana can be formed without his party's support, and a high-voltage poll campaign in the state with the former Delhi chief minister calling himself the son of the soil.

As per the latest Election Commission report, AAP managed to secure a mere 1.74 per cent of votes in the state, with none of its candidates leading in the 89 constituencies where the party opted to contest. There was hardly a seat where the AAP candidate touched the 1000 vote mark, indicating that their plans to expand into Haryana has come crashing down.

The poor show comes despite the AAP being in power in the neighbouring Delhi and Punjab, and party convenor Kejriwal projecting himself as the "son of the soil" as Haryana is the the home state of the AAP supremo.

The results would be a huge setback for the AAP, especially with the Delhi assembly elections scheduled for just about four months from now. The Haryana verdict has also reignited discussions on whether the party made a strategic mistake by deciding not to ally with the Congress. 

The party decided to go alone in the Haryana polls after its pre-polls alliance talks with the Congress failed. It was reported that the state unit of the Congress was strongly opposed to sharing certain seats with the AAP, leading to a failure in the seat-sharing agreement between the two parties, even though Rahul Gandhi was keen on the two parties forming an alliance.

The decision of Kejriwal to join the party's campaign just two weeks ahead of the polls may also have added to the party's failure to attract voters even as the AAP chief had said, "The AAP is getting so many seats... I calculated after reaching here. We are getting so many seats that the next government in Haryana cannot be formed without AAP's support."

In the run-up top elections, one of the key pitches by the AAP had been that it has popular governments in Delhi and Punjab, both of which are Haryana's neighbours. The party leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, pretty much stuck to the Lok Sabha script and targeted the BJP for being dictatorial. The AAP campaigns also stressed on the freebie model of governance on the lines of Delhi and Punjab, which seems to have not resonated with the electorate of Haryana.

The AAP’s dismal performance in Haryana is good news for the BJP, especially in the context of Delhi assembly elections which will take place in February next year. The Haryana results will certainly give a big boost to the saffron party’s chances in the national capital, which is ruled by the AAP since 2015.

Delhi minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai said the party would be able to speak about its performance only after a complete analysis of all seats after the results.

After the AAP's poor show in the assembly polls, Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, who had a bitter feud with the AAP after she alleged that she was assaulted by Bibhav Kumar, who was an aide to Kejriwal, took a dig at the former Delhi chief minister saying he went to Haryana only to take revenge on Congress.

She pointed out that the AAP fielded a candidate even to defeat Congress candidate and wrestler Vinesh Phogat.

Why has the situation reached such a stage that you are not able to save your deposits in your home state, she asked in a tweet in Hindi.